	Pro Evolution Soccer 2010
	Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Release Date: Out Now Players: 2 player ad-hoc mode	Words By:
I played last year’s version of Pro Evolution Soccer a lot, and it was hard to fault a near perfect conversion of, what was admittedly, a slightly flawed PS3 title. I was attracted to it by its online 2 player mode, which unfortunately was so laggy that it rendered the games to a lottery as to who would win a tackle and who would just waltz through and score a goal, meaning that results were often more down to luck than skill. Sadly rather than being improved the online mode has been removed entirely from the 2010 version, but the ad-hoc mode remains, although unless you have a co-addict (fortunately I do and can report that it works well) to play this with or are a member of a PSP gamers club (and yes they do exist), this mode still seems to have no more than niche appeal. What is left after the much-needed amputations is a tidier, tighter version of last year’s game with smarter menus, including easy-to-use sliding gauges for tactical options. The annually addictive Master League and the excellent Become a Legend mode (in which you take on the role of a single player rather than the entire team) return, and the UEFA Champions League licence is still in place, complete with the memorable “chorus of angels” title music, giving you the chance to play right from the initial group stage to the final. I think that, as with this year’s home console versions, the game plays slightly tighter than 2009, with less remembered button presses and more finesse in the player’s movement, although it obviously lacks the 360° control that the “big brother” (PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360) versions have. Looks-wise once you’re in-game it’s hard to tell the difference between this and last year’s game, and the licensing limitations mean that while Manchester United and Liverpool are licenced Arsenal and Chelsea are ‘North London’ and ‘London FC’ respectively. Spanish, Italian and Dutch (FIFA doesn’t have any Dutch clubs or players) sides seem to be authentic, as are most player names, and all of the other Premier League clubs still have the PES-standard silly names. You still have the edit mode but as always, this sort of thing takes forever on the PSP, even if you’re an experienced texter. The game does offer PS2 data transfer (if you still have one and buy PES 2010 for that too) but why no PS3 option? In play the game looks great, scrolls smoothly from end to end and the likenesses of several players are so good that they’re instantly recognisable. Free kicks and penalties retain the perennial PES problems though, and so free kicks still soul-destroyingly hard to master, while penalties rarely seem to go where you aim them, - at least throw-ins seem to offer more options as to which direction/how far you throw. Through-balls seem to work a bit better but players still refuse to make the most obvious of runs, and if you push them too far forward with the tactical options they’ll keep getting caught offside. The game allows you to build a custom soundtrack but the commentary by Jon Champion and ex-Liverpool player and Match of the Day pundit Mark Lawrenson is pretty awful, soon lapsing into daft, irrelevant statements and total inaccuracies. I got fed up with being 2 or 3-nil up at half time and being told I had to do better in the second half! All in all even with the removal of last year’s excellent World Tour Mode (that I thought was addictive as heck and perfect mobile gaming) and the useless online play we have a slight improvement in terms of gameplay and looks; as to whether you think this justifies a purchase is probably more down to the depth of your wallet than the overall quality of the game, as it’s actually hard to tell apart from 2009. Whatever the case my score is based on the quality of the game this year and not what it’s lost since last year, and for a PSP game, this is as good-looking and addictive a game of mobile footy as you’ll find on your PSP, it's just a shame they couldn't get the online mode purring like the solo game does.

Best Bits
- Looks great
- Tighter controls
- The Master League
- The ‘Become a Legend’ mode
- Ad-hoc mode

Worst Bits
- Licence still has holes
- No online play or World Tour mode
- Mark Lawrenson
- No PS3 data transfer


by: Mike Honsole